News and Responses

The 49ers released rookie free-agent Lance Brandenburgh and they announced their training camp will start July 24, with the first exhibition with the Raiders scheduled for Friday, Aug. 8 in Oakland at 7 p.m. The rest of the exhibition schedule is Saturday Aug. 16 against Green Bay, 6 p.m., Thursday Aug. 21 at Chicago at 6 p.m., and Friday Aug. 29 versus San Diego at 7.

The 49ers will open the exhibition season July 24 in Oakland.

Ten of the practices are open, but the 49ers haven’t announced them yet.

The first team offense for the 49ers looked like this in minicamp last weekend.

QB: Alex Smith/Shaun Hill

RB: Frank Gore

TE: Vernon Davis

TE: Delanie Walker

RT: Jonas Jennings

RG: Adam Snyder

C: Eric Heitmann

LG: Tony Wragge

LT: Joe Stalely

WR: Isaac Bruce

WR: Bryant Johnson

To make it even, Smith got the first snap with the starting offense in the morning session of the first day and then Hill worked with the first team in the afternoon. The 49ers didn’t use a fullback that much, so their base offense will be more of a one-back with two tight ends or three receivers. I suspect Johnson and Arnaz Battle will pursue the second wide receiver spot beside number one Isaac Bruce. Here’s the D:

LOLB: Tully Banta-Cain

LILB Patrick Willis

RILB Jeff Ulbrich

ROLB Parys Haralson

RDE: Justin Smith

NT: Aubrayo Franklin

LDE: Isaac Sopoaga

LCB: Nate Clements

RCB: Walt Harris

FS: Mark Roman

SS: Michael Lewis

K: Joe Nedney

P: Andy Lee

RTR: Allen Rossum

LS: Brian Jennings

Manny Lawson will presumably replace Haralson, possibly as soon as next month when the 49ers go through three weeks of organized team activity practice, and Tony Wragge will presumably keep the left- guard spot warm for David Baas. He’s out until the end of training camp with a torn right pectoral muscle.

RESPONSES TO RESPONSES: NoFear asked about Alex Smith and whether he’s putting in the time to learn the Mike Martz system and about the first-team lineups on offense and defense during minicamps. Smith continues to be very diligent learning the system, throwing and working out, working hard to pick up the offense has never been his problem.

Markpdx wrote about quarterbacks being more prepared for the NFL than they were 25 years ago when Joe Montana came out. Montana and the other quarterbacks who followed him with the 49ers were brought along slowly, while Alex Smith was indoctrinated into the lineup almost immediately.

Today’s quarterbacks are less prepared for the NFL than they were 25 years ago because pro defenses are much more complicated in the NFL, and college defenses, with limits on practice time, aren’t that much more sophisticated.

Also, more college offenses are going to spread schemes and shotgun formations. Quarterbacks, like Smith, have to learn to drop back and to tightened up their mechanics for the pro game.

Cincinnati and San Diego let Carson Palmer and Philip Rivers sit for a year, and they came from more competitive conferences and more traditional offenses than Smith. They’ve had better receivers and offensive lines to work with and they’ve also had greater success than Smith.

Teams are paying huge sums for first-round quarterbacks. That’s why they can’t afford to have them fail. If you believe in the Walsh way of quarterback development, teams can’t afford NOT to have their rookies sit for a year at least.

-The 49ers do read the blogs, but I don’t know if it’s consistent, and who knows what their reaction to the blogs might be as far as influence.

NO NEW-OLD UNI’s: Despite a groundswell of sentiment to the contrary, the 49ers won’t be going back to their 1980’s 1990’s look at least not for this year. Sorry forty9rfaithful.

-As to NoFear’s point when I’m writing an article and when I’m writing a blog, that’s a great question and purely subjective. For example, the prior sentence would that be blog or article?

–Mike Martz’s offense is based on the digital system. As far as I know, Martz is the only one to take the digital system, or digit system in a different direction. The Don Coryell-Norv Turner system was based on a mis-direction power running game, and a downfield passing attack where quarterbacks throw to an area. It means they throw the pass before a receiver cuts or they “throw open” as the 49ers say.

Instead of names for receiver routes, the routes are based on numbers with odd numbers denoting cuts to the sidelines, and even numbers signaling routes towards the center of the field.

A go route is called a “9” a deep post an “8.”

-NoFear is absolutely right about criticism and most of you have no qualms about shooting down my theories and slants. That’s the way it should be.